Running Up Hill

by Joanne on January 21, 2010

Do you ever run up a hill just so you can run down it?

I found myself doing that this morning during a short 3 1/2 miler with Shane. I just love running down hills. Not too steep, just so it makes the run easy for a few minutes. It’s such a disappointment when there is a hill but it simply levels out at the top. You have to come down eventually but sometimes it’s not quite as steep as what you went up. Just a thought.

The wall is finished in our living room…

I’m having a tough time getting used to it and just hope that when we get the wood floor put in, I like that wall a lot more than I do now. But it’s a relief to have the mess cleared up.

Special K Low-Fat Granola: It tastes pretty good. I’m not a cereal eater. I prefer hot oatmeal but this has potential. In 3/4 cup dry cereal (you know – just a handful for snacking?), there is 190 calories, only 3g of fat, 120 mg of sodium, 9 grams sugar, and a healthy 6 grams of protein. I don’t like the fact that it contains high fructose corn syrup but sometimes you just can’t get away from it unless you make it your self.

BLUEBERRY Fruit Crisps: Blueberry?How did they know? I BLUEBERRIES! These are cute little treats with only 100 calories per 2 crisps. 2 grams of fat. 65 mg of sodium. 7 g sugar (19 g carbs) and 1 g Protein. Okay – so don’t take these along as your protein snack but otherwise, a great treat when you just need a quick sweet tooth fix.

Foodbuzz suggests coming up with a recipe using these Special K products. Somehow I don’t think those fruit crisps are going to be around long enough for me to come up with a recipe for them other than eating them right out of the box. The granola… now that has already triggered some food-fixin’ creativity.

What IF you need a protein snack but you’re feeling a little “sugary”? These are my choices in protein bars. They satisfy my sweet needs and they pack between 15 grams to 23 grams of protein depending on which bar.

Some of the protein bars available taste better than a Snickers. That’s because they contain sugars and sugar alcohols.

Sugar alcohols are a sugar free sweetener. They STILL contain calories but lower caloric values than regular sugar. If you see ingredients such as isomalt, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol…these are all sugar alcohols. As little as 20g can cause gastrointestinal problems in some people (gas, bloating, diarrhea…). Read your labels!

I rarely eat a whole bar in one day. I break pieces off throughout the afternoon. Works for me!

On the exercise front, this week I’ve met all my challenges. I haven’t had the energy that was pushing me along like last week. Wonder why that is? Actually, the mood was a bit down in the dumps. Time to either snap out of it or focus on something else, right? Sure

Love your blog! Looking forward to reading more! Good for you in meeting your challenges this week. I’ve been in a funk and I can’t say the same for my weekly goals. The weekend is going to be a “cram session” 😉

Now, now, no time for being “down in the dumps.” Here’s something to focus on – – you’ve got a birthday fast approaching and a birthday trip to boot! You’ll see some awesome views of the natural world, get away from hum-drum for awhile, try out a new sport … I just know it’ll be a special time.
Ah well, I never was a cheerleader in H.S., so that’s the best I can do!
Love the bit about running down a hill. Remember when you were little you’d run as fast as you could, just because?! I agree with you, hills just ask for it!
Thanks for the tips on the protein bars – – I need all the help I can get. So far I’m down nearly 7 lbs, but have a long way to go. The gym seems to be helping but I need to go more often.
Ok, back to work!